You signed up for a few pet-sitting or dog-walking gigs on an app like Rover to earn extra money, not to end up in the ER. Yet one second you’re clipping on a leash, and the next a dog lunges, clamps down on your arm, and your world shrinks to pain, blood, and panic.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Pet-sitting app dog bite claims are rising, and injured sitters and walkers often feel stuck between the dog owner, the app, and confusing insurance policies. In Texas, the law gives you options—but you need to understand who may be liable, where insurance coverage stops, and how to protect your rights.
This guide walks you through dog bite claims involving pet-sitting apps in Houston and across Texas, with a focus on injuries to sitters and walkers, insurance gaps, and when app platforms or owners may be held responsible.
When a “Simple” Rover Job Turns Into a Life-Changing Bite
Picture this:
You accept a three-day house-sitting job on a pet app. The owner says their dog is “a little nervous but sweet.” On day two, you reach to clip the leash, the dog stiffens, growls, and before you can pull away, it bites deep into your hand. You need stitches, you can’t type for weeks, and you lose income from your main job.
Then comes the shock:
- The pet-sitting app tells you its “guarantee” does not cover your own injuries
- The dog owner’s insurance carrier pushes back or blames you
- Medical bills, lost wages, and trauma keep piling up
That exact pattern has started to show up more often as pet apps grow. In 2024 alone, U.S. insurers paid out about $1.57 billion on more than 22,000 dog-related injury claims, with Texas among the states reporting the most claims. Dog bites are now a serious, expensive national problem, not a rare fluke.
Why Pet-Sitting App Dog Bites Are So Common in Texas
Texas loves dogs. Nearly half of U.S. households have at least one dog, and Texas sits near the top in dog-related injury claims. Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and other Texas cities also rank high for dog attacks on postal workers—evidence that unrestrained or poorly controlled dogs are a real, everyday hazard in our communities.
When you combine:
- High dog ownership
- Crowded neighborhoods and apartment living
- Strangers entering homes through apps like Rover or Wag
…you get a perfect storm for sitter and walker injuries.
Unlike mail carriers, though, pet sitters and walkers assume they’re protected by the app. That assumption often turns out wrong.
Who Can Be Held Liable After a Dog Bites a Sitter or Walker?
In Texas, liability usually starts with the dog’s owner, but it may not end there. Depending on the facts, liability can involve:
- The dog owner
- The property owner where the bite occurred
- App platforms, if certain legal standards are met
Dog Owner Responsibility Under Texas Law
Texas follows a version of the “one bite rule” and also allows negligence-based claims:
- If the owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous (for example, prior bites or serious aggression), they can face strict liability for injuries the dog causes.
- Even without a prior known bite, you can pursue a negligence claim by showing the owner failed to use reasonable care—such as not disclosing aggression, failing to crate or restrain the dog, or sending you into a risky situation.
For sitters and walkers, that can include:
- Not warning you that the dog snaps when leashed or touched near food
- Leaving you alone with multiple large dogs with a history of fighting
- Allowing off-leash access in an unfenced yard, then blaming you when the dog bolts and bites
Premises Liability When the Bite Happens at the Owner’s Home
If the bite occurs at the dog owner’s home, premises liability also comes into play. Texas law treats most sitters and walkers as invitees—people on the property for mutual benefit. As an invitee, you are owed the highest duty of care.
The property owner usually must:
- Inspect for dangerous conditions (including known dangerous animals)
- Fix the danger or
- Warn you clearly about hidden risks
If you were injured while working in or around someone’s home, premises liability rules are very similar to other property injury cases. You can read more about how this works on the firm’s Houston Premises Liability Lawyer page.
Can Apps Like Rover or Wag Be Held Responsible?
Pet-sitting apps usually label sitters and walkers as independent contractors, not employees. That helps them argue that they are not vicariously liable for injuries caused by pets or for what happens on each job.
However, under Texas law, labels are not everything. Courts look at how much control the company actually exercises, including:
- How much the app dictates your work methods and schedule
- Whether the app sets detailed rules and can remove you for small rule violations
- How payments, pricing, and safety procedures are controlled
If a platform acts more like an employer—or negligently markets its services as “fully covered” or “safe” without backing that up—we may explore:
- Vicarious liability (if you are effectively treated as an employee)
- Negligent hiring, screening, or supervision
- Misrepresentation about coverage or safety
These cases are complex and very fact-specific. You should not assume the app is immune—have an experienced Texas dog bite lawyer review the contract, app messages, and policies carefully.
Insurance Gaps That Blindside Injured Sitters and Walkers
The biggest shock for many injured sitters: the pet app’s “guarantee” is not real insurance.
What the Rover Guarantee Actually Covers (and What It Doesn’t)
Rover’s own terms state that the “Rover Guarantee is not insurance.” It focuses on:
- Certain veterinary bills for pets
- Some property damage or personal injuries to third parties
Critically, Rover’s terms explain that coverage does not extend to injuries suffered by the pet care provider or the pet owner, or their roommates or family members. In other words, if you are the sitter or walker who gets bitten, the Rover Guarantee usually does not pay your medical bills, lost wages, or pain and suffering.
That surprise leaves many Houston-area sitters relying on traditional insurance policies instead.
Homeowners and Renters Insurance
Often, the first real source of money is the dog owner’s homeowners or renters insurance, which may cover:
- Your medical bills
- Lost income
- Other damages up to the policy’s liability limits (commonly $100,000–$300,000)
However, insurers look for ways to deny or limit claims, especially when:
- The dog has a history of aggression
- The policy contains breed restrictions or dog exclusions
- The insurer claims the incident involved a “business activity” (pet-sitting), which can trigger exclusions
A skilled Houston dog bite lawyer helps you locate all potential coverage and push back when an adjuster tries to blame you or rely on fine print.
Your Own Health and Disability Coverage
Until a liability claim settles, your own health insurance usually pays first for treatment, and short-term disability or employer benefits may help cover lost wages. Later, your health insurer may claim reimbursement from your settlement.
These overlapping layers of coverage are exactly where sitters often feel overwhelmed. You do not have to sort this out alone.
Key Texas Laws That Affect Pet-Sitting App Dog Bite Claims
A few Texas statutes matter in nearly every case:
- Statute of limitations – Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003 Most personal injury and dog bite claims must be filed within two years of the date of injury. If you wait longer than two years to file a lawsuit, the court can bar your claim.
- Comparative negligence – Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001 Texas follows a 51% comparative negligence rule. If you are 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing. If you are less than 51% at fault, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of responsibility. Insurers often use this to argue you “provoked” the dog or ignored warnings.
Because these rules can erase valid claims, timing and case framing matter a great deal.
What Compensation Can You Recover After a Dog Bite?
Depending on your injuries, you may pursue both economic and non‑economic damages, including:
- Medical expenses – ER visits, surgery, stitches, medications, physical therapy, future treatment
- Lost wages – time off from your primary job and from pet-sitting or walking
- Loss of earning capacity – if scarring, nerve damage, or PTSD affects your ability to work long term
- Scarring and disfigurement – especially for bites to the face, hands, or legs
- Pain and suffering – physical pain and daily discomfort
- Mental anguish and PTSD – fear of dogs, anxiety, nightmares, and emotional trauma
- Loss of enjoyment of life – if you withdraw from activities you once loved
Every case is different. We work closely with you, your doctors, and sometimes psychological experts to tell the full human story of how the bite changed your life.
What To Do Right After a Dog Bite During a Pet-Sitting App Job
If a dog bites you while you’re working through Rover, Wag, or another platform:
- Get medical care immediately
- Even “small” punctures can cause serious infection or nerve damage.
- Report the incident in writing
- Inside the app (Rover, Wag, etc.)
- To the dog owner
- To animal control or law enforcement if the bite is serious
- Document everything
- Photos of wounds, bruising, blood-stained clothing, and the scene
- Screenshots of app messages, profile descriptions, and any prior warnings
- Names and contact info for witnesses, neighbors, or family members
- Save all bills and records
- ER reports, doctor notes, physical therapy, prescriptions, and time-off work notes
- Do NOT apologize or accept blame in messages
- Insurers and defense attorneys love to twist “I’m so sorry” into an admission of fault.
- Do NOT accept quick app credits or small offers before legal advice
- You may be asked to sign away rights for a fraction of your true losses.
- Talk with a Texas personal injury lawyer early
- The sooner we get involved, the better we can preserve evidence and identify insurance coverage.
For more on mistakes that can weaken a claim, see the firm’s article on the top 5 mistakes Texans make when filing personal injury claims without a lawyer.
Common Mistakes Sitters and Walkers Make After a Bite
We regularly see injured sitters in the Houston area:
- Trusting the app’s support team to “handle everything”
- Relying on the Rover Guarantee without realizing it excludes injuries to sitters and owners
- Failing to report the bite to animal control because they fear a bad review
- Posting about the incident on social media, giving insurers ammunition
- Waiting too long to talk with an attorney, only to bump up against the two-year deadline
Avoiding these mistakes greatly increases your chances of a strong pet-sitting app dog bite claim.
